Hearts Of Iron II: Iron Cross Released

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Despite the stat-tacular Hearts of Iron III coming out last year and an expansion for it coming out earlier this year, it seems Paradox are still releasing expansions for Hearts of Iron II. And why not? If I had my way all games would be ever-expanding, like some strange breed of digital fungus, occasionally growing so big that one would completely swallow another.

Hearts of Iron II’s third expansion, Iron Cross, was released today and seems to be a much more straight-laced affair than the nuclear-powered Doomsday and Armageddon expansions, simply providing more countries, provinces and technologies to the existing game. A Let’s Play video of HoI: Armageddon with a chirpy European talking over it can be found after the jump.
Ahh. Sometimes I wish I was more European. Don’t you?

Yeah yeah. And Civilization should eat Supreme Commander, with Minecraft as a side-dish while Dwarf Fortress is in its belly. While EvE eats System Shock 1 and 2, slurping up a tasty Fall Of Hyperion in the process, followed by a Neuromancer dessert. :P

I’m fully in love with the HoI II tech tree. Once the war really gets going and I’m micromanaging armies in three different continents at once I start to lose interest, but for those sweet, sweet years 1936-39, I’m in level-up heaven.

Agreed. Played as USA twice. The first time WW2 didn’t happen so I gave up. The second time I was really enjoying it until I got involved. The lovely rousing music changes and instead of leaping over months, you drop down to hours.

…Oh and Vichy France managed to sink the entire US Atlantic Fleet and transport convoy, which was carrying well over half the US Army. A dark day for the Yanks that one.

Iron Cross is actually a fan made expansion that came about after Paradox released the source code to a select few groups. The fans make the product that they want to make and then Paradox sells it on. Which is kind of them

There’s two other such projects for HoI2 – ‘Arsenal of Democracy’ (already out) and ‘Darkest Hour’ (coming very soon). I’ll be interested to see if this is overkill for one game

I remain grateful to Hearts of Iron for teaching me the vital part that Norway played in World War 2. Namely, that if they had sat there quietly researching education and remaining furiously neutral at all costs, the world would have gone mad, with Italy occupying France, Germany landing at Portsmouth, and Australia invading Munich, while the Soviet Union did little but throw stones at the Finnish border patrol.

Iron Cross isn’t actually by Paradox, but is an expansion done by a former modder. Paradox leased out the Europa engine games for commercialised fan remakes and the like, Arsenal of Democracy being one of them.

Iron Cross claims to be compatible with Arsenal of Democracy as well as Hearts of Iron 2, so there is that.